


Nursey cuddles are the best medicine

by girlwithaplan



Series: NurseyDex fluff [2]
Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: And the photographer, Bitty is the mom, Crying, Cuddling & Snuggling, Dex is sick and Nursey takes care of him, Fluff, I can't help myself, M/M, Sick Character, Sickfic, it's so fluffy and cute guys, these boys and their EMOTIONS
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-03
Updated: 2016-06-03
Packaged: 2018-07-12 00:19:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7076704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/girlwithaplan/pseuds/girlwithaplan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dex is sick and tried to go it alone, but Nursey won't let him. Unrepentant fluff.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Nursey cuddles are the best medicine

"I'm going upstairs," Dex proclaimed to the kitchen as he sneezed for what felt like the 30th time that afternoon. He'd been getting a cold for a few days but trying to ignore it. Now he could feel the congestion settling into his chest and he could kick himself for letting it get this bad.

He'd already had a few coughing fits on his walks to and from class today and Nursey had asked him at least five times if he was okay. Dex was touched by his concern, but he knew the drill with being sick. Isolate yourself so no one else gets it.

Growing up with a big family in a small space meant that sickness spread quickly, so it was a family rule that if you were sick, you stayed in a room alone and rode it out. Mom and Dad couldn't afford to get sick and miss work, so Dex was more than used to hiding away when he didn't feel well. And being alone worked well when he'd had the flu or that horrific stomach virus a few years back, but Dex was prone to colds (thank you little siblings) and they very often rattled into bronchitis or an upper respiratory infection.

He'd never told anyone, but he felt miserable than when he was hacking his lungs out all alone. Coughing hurt and he always wished that someone would rub his back or even just sit in the room with him. But Dex wasn't selfish and the last thing his team needed was to catch his sickness.

Bitty frowned and said, "Aww, Dex, do you need anything? Tea? Pie? I could make you something else if you want." Dex managed a little smile while he held back another urge to cough. "No, thanks, Bitty. I'll just take some water up with me and try to nap. I'll be fine." Bittle didn't look convinced, but he handed Dex a cold bottle from the fridge and patted his arm sympathetically.

"You want me to come with?" Nursery asked, looking up at Dex from his seat at the table. As much as he wanted to say yes, Dex didn't want his boyfriend of all people to be sick, so he shook his head and made his way slowly up the stairs.

At the top, he had to pause and let out some particularly nasty coughs. "Dex? You okay?" he heard Nursey call up to him and heard Bitty saying, "Lord, that doesn't sound good."

"I'm fine," Dex said loud enough for them to hear before trudging the rest of the way up to the attic. Immediately, he kicked off his shoes and shucked off his pants and shirt before getting into the bottom bunk. He curled his blankets around himself and tried to will away his headache.

Dex managed to fall asleep for a while, but eventually his phlegmy throat won out and he coughed and sputtered and hacked until he was pretty sure is head would explode. Perfect, he thought, fuckin' perfect. He gulped down some water and winced at how sore his ribs already were from the effort.

Before he could even get out his phone to ask Nursey to bring him some Advil, he got caught in yet another fit. This one was longer and harder to stop. By the time he was done, he was shaky and crying a little from the pain in his throat, his head,and his chest. Dex knew that crying wouldn't make his headache better but he was sick, dammit, so he indulged himself a little and cried, hoping it would wear him out enough to get back to sleep.

He didn't hear the door to the attic creak open and Nursey, too concerned to go any longer without at least checking on Dex. Nursey didn't know why Dex was so stubborn about being fine when he was clearly not, but he decided help first, questions later.

Nursey was lugging a humidifier Chowder had offered him when he heard Dex hacking along with more water and a bag of medications and cough drops Bitty had insisted he take. When he saw Dex, huddled under the blankets and heard him weeping, it was only his last shred of self-control that allowed Nursey to plug in the humidifier and sit down the bag before  
he was stripping off his own clothes and climbing in behind Dex.

Careful not to hug him too hard, Nursey slid an arm around Dex's waist. Dex shuddered at the contact and cried harder. Nursey knew his boyfriend well enough to know it was hard for him to stop once he started crying, so he just held him gently and hoped his presence helped.

"Oh, Will, sweetheart," Nursey whispered after the sobs had slowed, "It's gonna be okay." Dex flipped over carefully, like it hurt him to move that much. "You shouldn't be up here," he sniffled, looking at Nursey with watery eyes.

"Why not?" Nursey asked, lifting one hand to Dex's forehead to check for a fever. Dex pressed his head against Nursey's hand like a cat before he replied, "You might catch this and you don't need it. Trust me."

"I do trust you," Nursey said, "but I don't care if I catch it. I just couldn't sit down there with Bitty worrying and listen to you cough anymore. It's too sad." He ran his hand slowly, purposefully, up and down Dex's back, trying to help him feel better.

Dex pressed his face against Derek's neck and clung to him, trying not to cry again when he thought about how much he'd wanted this every time he was sick growing up. He pulled back quickly when he felt another cough coming and struggled upright, trembling with the effort. Nursey helped him up and kept a hand on his shoulder while he worked through it, handing Dex his water and some medicine.

Once he finished, Dex slumped against the wall and looked at Nursey. "You don't have to stay. I'll be fine after awhile." Nursey turned to face Dex and said, "If it's okay with you, I'd rather stay." Before he could stop himself, Dex's eyes filled with tears again.

"Baby," Nursey reached out for his boyfriend, relieved when Dex curled into his side, "what's going on?" He kissed Dex's hair and waited for him to speak.

Dex sighed and looked up at Nursey for a long moment before speaking up, his voice small and vulnerable, "I've never had anyone take care of me before."

Nursey had a thousand questions about that, but those could wait until Dex was better. He kissed both of Dex's cheeks before pulling back to look into his eyes and promise, "I'll take care of you from now on, okay? You don't have to be alone."

The smile Dex gave him in return was small, but Nursey considered it a victory. He shuffled around on the bed until his back was against the wall and motioned for Dex to come over. "Laying down flat on your back is going to make you cough more so come lay on me and sleep some more, if you want."

Dex hesitated,but Nursey was patient. After taking another long drink of water, Dex crawled into his boyfriend's lap and put his arms and legs around him, not caring how ridiculous they looked. His head was resting over Nursey's heart and he counted the beats as he drifted into slumber. The arms holding him were strong and sure and Dex felt safe, a new feeling for him but one he could get used to.

"I've got you," Nursey whispered, warm breath ghosting over Dex's forehead, "I've always got you, babe. Always."

~  
A faint buzzing noise woke Nursey a few hours later and he was greeted with Bitty's newest tweet. He couldn't help but smile at the picture of two huge hockey players wrapped tightly around each other and sleeping sitting up. Evidently, Bitty had covered them somewhat with a quilt and chosen a black and white filter with the caption:

Came up to check on my sick teammate and found this. Y'ALL. MY HEART. #precious 

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so I may also be down with a cold and a gross cough which could have inspired this. So while I'm trying to rest, I wrote about NurseyDex and all their feelings. I'm sick, indulge me.
> 
> Also, if anyone feels inspired to illustrate Bitty's tweet, I'd die from happiness. (And maybe give you a few dollars on PayPal or patreon or whatever because artists should get PAID.)


End file.
